Illinois Tollway's Congestion-Relief Program

HNTB was the program manager for the Illinois Tollway’s Congestion-Relief Program: Open Roads for a Faster Future, which widened and constructed 274 miles of existing highways, constructed a new 12.5-mile extension of a major corridor and converted 20 mainline toll plazas to open road tolling in one-fifth of the time it would have normally taken.

HNTB created program-wide benefits — putting in place the processes, systems and tolls needed to deliver the program on-time and on-budget. This included implementing the Tollway's first web-based program management system. HNTB configured and implemented the system, trained users, and promoted effective collaboration and communication among the thousands of people who worked on the CRP.

Additionally, HNTB found innovative ways to streamline program delivery and save costs. For example, HNTB anticipated the availability, or lack thereof, of construction materials and offereed value engineering solutions to avoid schedule delays and save the Tollway millions of dollars.

An ISO quality audit confirmed every participant in the program was in compliance with all program requirements. A second audit, completed at the construction level, ensured the quality of materials met appropriate criteria for the work.